ExxonMobil, an American multinational oil and gas corporation, has recently boosted the production of critical raw materials for clinical supplies to combat the spread of COVID-19 disease. These clinical supplies, namely masks, hand sanitizers, and gowns, will be widely adopted by the medical professionals and other front-liners in their fight against the pandemic.

The manufacturing capability of the company for specialized polypropylene used in medical gowns and masks has been increased rapidly, by around 1,000 tons a month. This capacity can sufficiently help produce up to 20 million medical gowns and 200 million masks. Additionally, the monthly production capacity of isopropyl alcohol has been increased considerably by 3,000 tons. This key ingredient is used in many hand sanitizers and disinfectant products. The current production capacity of this ingredient will help increase production of 4-ounce bottles of medical-grade hand sanitizers to over 50 million.

This additional production of polypropylene will be carried out at various sites in Singapore; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Baytown, Texas. The company will also maximize the production of isopropyl alcohol in Baton Rouge.

According to Karen McKee, ExxonMobil Chemical Company’s president, the company is increasing the manufacturing capability of critical raw materials to ensure the health and safety of the front-liners during the coronavirus outbreak. This can be attributed to its team of engineering and technical experts who have been working continuously to meet the rising demands from the customers as well as support the global response to the pandemic.

Despite the prioritization by ExxonMobil on producing polypropylene and isopropyl alcohol at its chemical manufacturing facilities, the company is also anticipated to meet the contractual commitments to produce other chemical products. It has also been applying its experience and deep knowledge with the polymer-based technologies to facilitate the development and accelerate the 3rd-party production of safety equipment that can be reused and sterilized multiple times.

Global Center for Medical Innovation, in partnership with ExxonMobil, is awaiting FDA approval to scale the immediate production of more than 40,000 ready-to-use masks & filter cartridges.

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https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/News/Newsroom/News-releases/2020/0415_ExxonMobil-boosts-production-of-raw-materials-for-medical-masks-and-gowns-and-hand-sanitizer